DIGITAL MARKETING IN THE VISITOR ECONOMY - 2025/6

Module Overview

This module introduces students to key theories, strategies and practices in digital marketing within tourism, hospitality and events. As digital technologies continuously reshape consumer expectations and organisational behaviour, understanding how to design, deliver, and evaluate digital marketing activities has become essential.

Students will explore how digital channels influence travellers¿, guests¿ and attendees¿ behaviour, and how organisations can use these channels to create value, foster engagement, and remain competitive. The module examines both opportunities and challenges of digital marketing, drawing on contemporary research and real-world industry examples.

Practical application is a central component of the module, enabling students to analyse digital marketing activity, evaluate campaign effectiveness and design content for multiple channels.

Module provider

Surrey Hospitality & Tourism Management

Module Leader

KNOX Dan (SII DUFE)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 5

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

n/a

Module content

Indicative content includes:

• Digital marketing strategy development
• Digital channels as information sources and their impact on consumer behaviour
• Opportunities, risks, and challenges of digital marketing in the visitor economy
• Social media marketing and planning
• Video marketing and customer engagement
• Digital marketing campaign strategies
• Search engine optimisation (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM)
• Paid social advertising & programmatic creative optimisation
• Mobile, SMS, and email marketing
• Digital marketing performance measurement, analytics, and trend monitoring

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

Assessment 2: Individual report (max 2,000 words) 

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to develop students¿ analytical, creative and practical digital marketing skills progressively across the semester.

The individual assessment (Assessment 1) enables students to build foundational skills in analysing digital marketing activity and evaluating the effectiveness of digital content. This ensures all students begin with a consistent level of analytical capability, methodological understanding and familiarity with digital marketing principles.

The group assessment (Assessment 2) builds on these individual analytical insights. Working collaboratively, students design an applied digital marketing campaign and pitch it professionally. The group format mirrors industry practice, where campaign planning and creative development are highly collaborative.

Summative Assessment Overview

Assessment 1: Individual Digital Marketing Audit (Individual, 50%, 1,500-2,000 words)

Each student selects an organisation in tourism, hospitality or events and evaluates its digital marketing presence. Students must:

• analyse the organisation¿s use of digital channels;
• conduct a UX/interaction evaluation of a key asset;
• apply frameworks such as SWOT, persona development and customer journey mapping;
• provide evidence-based recommendations for improving user engagement and digital performance.

This assessment develops core analytical and evaluative skills that students will later apply to a different organisation in their group project.

Assessment 2: Digital Marketing Campaign (Group, 50%, 15-minute recorded presentation + creative assets)

Working in groups, students design and pitch a digital marketing campaign for a tourism, hospitality, or events organisation of their choice (this organisation may differ from the one analysed individually). Groups must:

• develop a clear digital marketing strategy based on learnings from the module;
• create a target persona and set SMART objectives;
• produce an editorial/content plan;
• design actual campaign assets for at least four channels (e.g., video, reel, image post, microblog post, email/blog);
• apply insights from a UX/interaction evaluation to optimise creative content;
• justify their strategic and creative decisions using theory and analytics;
• present their campaign professionally.

Formative Assessment and Feedback

Formative feedback is embedded throughout weekly teaching, in both lectures and seminars, supporting students¿ development in analysis, campaign design, theory application and digital content creation. More specifically:

• Week 1 introduction to both assessments with clear guidance on criteria and expectations.
• Lecture-based conceptual guidance for Assignment 1 (e.g., persona development, SWOT, competitor analysis, UX principles, content evaluation, integrated communications).
• Seminar-based practical feedback, including:
  • analysing digital channels;
  • evaluating digital content and UX;
  • creating campaign assets (video, image, microblog, email/blog) for Assignment 2.
• Structured peer feedback during seminars as groups begin generating campaign ideas.
• A dedicated coaching session later in the semester to support each group¿s campaign concept and presentation plan.
• Guided learning activities that introduce relevant digital marketing tools, curated resources, and industry examples.

Module aims

• Understand the role of digital marketing in tourism, hospitality and events.
• Develop knowledge of how organisations use digital technologies and platforms to communicate, engage customers and create value.
• Critically evaluate consumer behaviour in digital contexts.
• Identify challenges and opportunities associated with digital and social media marketing.
• Develop skills in marketing analysis, campaign planning, and content creation.
• Apply marketing frameworks, analytical tools and digital technologies to real-world cases.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

Teaching consists of weekly lectures and seminars combining theory, practical application, case studies and hands-on activities. Guest speakers provide industry insights and demonstrate real-world use of digital platforms and tools.

Seminars focus on applied skills development, including digital content creation, evaluation of digital marketing materials and use of professional software.

Students are expected to engage with guided reading, digital tools and independent research to support learning and assessment preparation.

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: MAN2215

Other information

This module adopts the university curriculum framework, which aims to develop learners with strong capabilities in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability and Resourcefulness and Resilience. This module contributes to these capabilities in the following ways:

Employability

Students develop skills directly relevant to marketing roles in tourism, hospitality and events. Through the individual assignment, they conduct a structured digital marketing audit and use professional software to evaluate real digital content. This equips students with practical analytical abilities and an understanding of how organisations assess consumer engagement and campaign effectiveness.

In the group assignment, students design a multi-channel digital marketing campaign, produce platform-specific content, and pitch their ideas, mirroring industry practice. These tasks strengthen students¿ ability to apply theoretical frameworks to real-world contexts, interpret digital performance, and communicate strategic recommendations effectively.

Resourcefulness and Resilience

The assessment structure requires students to engage in independent research, analytical thinking and creative problem-solving. By evaluating real organisations and interpreting data from digital analytics tools, students learn how to adapt their approach, overcome challenges and justify decisions using evidence.

The group project further develops resilience by requiring collaboration, negotiation and shared responsibility. Students learn to navigate the complexities of teamwork, manage differing perspectives and support one another in producing a coherent and persuasive campaign. Regular formative feedback, peer input and a dedicated coaching session help students build confidence, self-efficacy and reflective practice.

Digital Capabilities

Digital capabilities are central to the module. Students work with industry-relevant tools and technologies used in contemporary marketing practice

Through weekly seminars, students gain hands-on experience in developing digital content (videos, images, microblogs, emails) and planning cross-channel campaigns. They also learn how digital ecosystems shape consumer behaviour and how organisations use analytical insights to refine marketing strategies.

By the end of the module, students will have strengthened both their theoretical understanding and practical competence in navigating the rapidly evolving digital marketing landscape.

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2025/6 academic year.